BOYFRIEND MATERIAL

Unsure How to Become BOYFRIEND MATERIAL–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a brand-new contemporary M/M romance from Alexis Hall. BOYFRIEND MATERIAL is a sweet and sassy love story for a tangentially-famous man and a bit of neurotically-ethical barrister who agree to be temporary fake boyfriends.

About the book:
Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way

Luc O’Donnell is tangentially–and reluctantly–famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.

My Review:
Luc O’Donnell is in his late 20s and son of 80s rockers. His parents never married, and he never actually met his father, Jon Fleming, who’d moved on and toured with a different band, making a tabloid nuisance of himself for the most of Luc’s youth. His last serious boyfriend sold stories of their relationship, including compromising pictures, for an interview, and it’s left Luc feeling emotionally violated and preternaturally suspicious of any man who might take an interest. Now, Jon Fleming is back on the British music scene as an advisor to rock wannabees on a reality show. And, Luc’s many foibles are prime for the tabloids to print. Luc works as a fundraising manager for an obscure dung beetle charity, and this miserable job is in jeopardy when some of the usual donors take offense to the sensationalized antics that Luc hasn’t really committed, but are now in the papers.

He’s got to find a respectable boyfriend to win back the snooty donors, or find a new job. But who will hire this pariah? Better yet, who would really date him?

Luc’s friend sets his up with Oliver Blackwood, a decent and ethical vegan barrister who Luc is sure looks down on him from his moral high ground. Oliver is in dire need of a partner for his parents’ anniversary luncheon, and he’s willing to become part of Luc’s circus life to make this onerous occasion palatable. Luc tells the story so we get a lot of his emotional issues, but he begins to see that Oliver’s seemingly perfect life is a carefully constructed facade to paper over the isolation he’s long felt in his family.

Luc and Oliver are the sweetest men, both needing love and reassurance that they aren’t making horrible messes of their lives. Fleming’s not only on the telly, he’s making in-roads with Luc’s mum and seems to want to make amends to Luc, as well. Luc’s horrified by the tawdriness of the situation, and leans heavily on Oliver’s steadfastness to survive some of these encounters. Oliver is a great guy, noble yet a little sanctimonious, but he treats Luc better than a boyfriend, and Luc strives to be even half as good. Their communication becomes more necessary than perfunctory, and they develop a bond that neither wants to acknowledge in total–because they believe this is a meant to be temporary.

I love fake boyfriend tropes, and this one is extremely well-done. The friends and family drama is on point, and Luc’s self-deprecating humor is a constant delight. His sensitivity and emotional vulnerability are so raw, and I was glad that a good man like Oliver was there to help him patch himself up. Their sexytimes are tentative, at first, but tender and loving as they gain a keen interest in one another.

I honestly fell hard for Luc, and his quest to live a decent life and have a decent guy was so engaging. He’s got a brain that never shuts off, and it was a bit of a thrill ride as his feelings for Oliver ramped up. It was hysterical how Luc figuratively and literally cleaned up his life–including his apartment, because he wanted to be someone that Oliver could admire–not even realizing how much Oliver admired him already. I loved how he stood up for Oliver, especially against Oliver’s own family who all treat him rather shabbily. There’s a big conflict near the end, where Luc needs to make a grand gesture and it surely goes to heck in a handbasket, but he still ends up winning Oliver back for a happy ending.

I finished reading this a couple of months ago, but re-read it so it would be fresh for the release. It’s a book worth reading over again, and I still laughed out loud repeatedly as I absorbed Luc’s deep-seated self-consciousness for the second time. I loved these guys and was only sad to see the book end.

Interested? You can find BOYFRIEND MATERIAL on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret. He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ice cream maker, fortune teller, lab technician, and professional gambler. He was fired from most of them.

He can neither cook nor sing, but he can handle a 17th century smallsword, punts from the proper end, and knows how to hotwire a car. He lives in southeast England, with no cats and no children, and fully intends to keep it that way.

Catch up with him on his website, twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Finding Out If He’s BOYFRIEND MATERIAL–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary M/M romance that’s somewhere between YA and New Adult, recently published from K. A. Mitchell. BOYFRIEND MATERIAL is a kinda sweet story that’s best read after GETTING HIM BACK.

Boyfriend Material (Ethan & Wyatt, #2)About the book:
Physically, it’s easy for Ethan and Wyatt to be together—well, if “easy” means stolen moments when Ethan’s roommate is away, or sneaking away to a hidden nook in the library. Privacy is hard to come by in a dorm, but finding ways to connect is half the fun.

Emotionally, though, that’s a different story. Wyatt isn’t sure if a relationship is something he can make last—years of having to hide his emotions have left him with a shaky sense of self-confidence. And when it’s time to head home for the holidays, their steamy on-campus connection may not translate so well to the real world…

My Review:
3.5 Stars.  This is the second book in a contemporary New Adult/Upper YA M/M romance series and likely best enjoyed when read in order.

Ethan and Wyatt are boyfriends on campus. Wyatt is a little older, been there for a couple years. Ethan is a freshman. The first book, which isn’t recounted at all, is all about them getting together. This book is all about the challenges of them building a relationship.

Wyatt is a “bad boy” in that he assisted in a large theft, in a stolen vehicle, when he was a young teen. Like 14-15. He was caught, tried, convicted and served 2 years in juvie. He’s from a Nowhere West Virginia Small Town where everyone is poor, and has been raised by his mother alone for his whole life. Ethan’s an only child from an upper middle class family. He’s honest, kind and patient, comfortable in his skin and sexuality, while Wyatt is reserved and mostly ashamed of many aspects of himself and his life. Wyatt has little experience with men, because he wasn’t sure he was gay, and didn’t want to become a bigger target by revealing his homosexuality. Now, with Ethan, he’s willing.

Ethan wants Wyatt to come home with him for Thanksgiving. And Christmas break. And, probably forever, but Wyatt is reticent. He knows/believes that he’s not boyfriend material, and doesn’t want Ethan’s family to reject him.

So, as far as the story goes, it was okay. I was a bit lost on some of the beginning, having not read the first book. As a devout serial reader, it is a pet peeve of mine when there is nothing to orient the reader to certain salient parts of the past in the new book. These are novellas, and a few sentences would go a long way to bringing fresh readers in, without too much repetition of the first book for those who’ve read that. Especially as this novella is told from Wyatt’s POV, and what a big switch that is, apparently, from the first book. Like, I have no idea what Waardenburg syndrome is–and I’ve got a Really Big Degree that certifies me to teach medical physiology. Wyatt suffers from it, and I barely got even a cursory description of what that meant, or how it affected his life. Heads up: it’s a genetic disease and means Wyatt’s partially deaf, and he has two different color eyes and brilliant white hair. His uncle has even greater penetrance and is totally deaf. Wyatt’s sensitive to his appearance, and how it affects those around him. He doesn’t want to be a curiosity, which is why he shies from contact with people, and hides behind a hoodie. All the time.

Ethan’s this sunny, “glass is nearly full” loving young man. He recently broke off from a relationship with a boy from his hometown–one who goes to significant lengths to make Wyatt feel uncomfortable–and he wants to crow out his good fortune at finding Wyatt, and getting Wyatt to love him. He is charmingly naive and starry-eyed. I’m glad he loves Wyatt, because Wyatt NEEDS someone to love him. I wish there was a bit more to this book. I know it’s a HFN, with a third installment promised, but I wanted there to be a bit more meat. Mostly it’s Wyatt worrying about the state of his relationship, and pushing away from Ethan before he can get his heart broken. It seemed a little juvenile, which is why I think it’s more Upper YA than New Adult. There’s sex on the page, and that was pretty good, but the overall vibe is still kinda young, IMHO. I also struggled with the mostly-telling narrative, and didn’t quite bond with Wyatt, as a result. It’s a quick read, though, and I might pick up the third book, if I had the time.

Interested? You can find BOYFRIEND MATERIAL on Goodreads, Carina Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
K.A. Mitchell discovered the magic of writing at an early age when she learned that a carefully crayoned note of apology sent to the kitchen in a toy truck would earn her a reprieve from banishment to her room. Her career as a spin-control artist was cut short when her family moved to a two-story house, and her trucks would not roll safely down the stairs. Around the same time, she decided that Chip and Ken made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie dropped off. She never stopped making stuff up, though, and was surprised to find out that people would pay her to do it. Although the men in her stories usually carry more emotional baggage than even LAX can lose in a year, she guarantees they always find their sexy way to a happy ending.

Catch up with KA on her website, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!